WXIN/WTTV -- We’re on the verge of the holiday shopping season, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) is getting more popular as a way to buy larger ticket items.

According to experts like marketing professor Barry Babin at the University Mississippi, the upside of buy BNPL is the ability to bring home a big purchase item like a new TV or washer and dryer. However, there’s also a distinct downside.

Buy now, pay later works like a rent-to-own (RTO) transaction. It can give you access to a product you can’t afford to buy with cash, and there’s often no credit check involved. It’s especially popular for appliances and electronics.

“Fifteen percent of all RTOs are people who are experimenting with the product,” Babin said. “And so they just want to try this new phone out without an obligation to bu

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